


Survival 2.0

by Arrw



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Gen, Grimdark, Post-Apocalypse, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-08-23 14:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20244535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrw/pseuds/Arrw
Summary: A young woman lost in a strange forest, separated from all that she knows, struggle to survive in a world now changed.Welcome to The System.---------------------------------Hello people! Just to inform you that English is not my native language and as this is my first attempt at writing, the beginning will probably be a bit rough (meaning bad, like really bad). Please don't shy from criticisms and feel free to correct any mistakes that you'll see. I also plan to rewrite most of the beginning chapters as I get better. Thank you!





	1. Prologue

My name's Evalina Lonestar, 20 years old law-student from a small city of northern France.

Currently, and utterly, lost.

I was hiking with my friends in the mountains next to our city when the ground suddenly began to shake, you know, like an earthquake. 

So me being...well, me, I lost my footing and fell headfirst against a stone, losing consciousness.

When I woke up, I was bleeding profusely from a wide cut on my forehead and I quickly had to put a hand on it to stop the blood from leaking even more. The smell of rust and the sight of so much blood, so much red, made me nauseous. I never bleed so much in my life and even with my hand on the wound, the blood still ran free, forcing me to close an eye.

My hand was literally soaked and I hissed in pain through my teeth. It hurt, it burned.

Kneeling down, I tried to pull one of the sleeves of my shirt with my teeth while looking at the ground and patting around me in search of my backpack but I didn't find it. It wasn't there. It should have. I had it secured on my back with several knots when we departed the city, it couldn't have come loose, even with an earthquake happening.

_Fuck._

It took a moment, but finally, I managed to tear that sleeve off and wrapped it around my head, like a bandana, making a knot at the front.

Wiping my hands and my face of the blood with the front of my shirt, I then finally and truly looked around me and froze at what I saw. An icy wave of terror swept over me in an instant and I stopped breathing. My heart missed a beat before starting to pound frantically in my chest.

Where was just before mountains and plains stood now a forest. Dense, dark, with foliage blocking the sun. Old trees with gnarled branches and mosses of deep green on their trunks, the forest gave an ancient feeling, the feeling of something untouched by the hands of men.

The air was moist and heavy with the scent of wet earth and fresh leaves. As the initial shock passed, the sound of critters and wildlife filled my ears, but not only, as the trees were making noise too_. _They were _groaning,_ giving the impression of talking between themselves, like the Ents in Lord of the Rings.

Where the fuck was I? 

Realizing that I was still on my knees, I got up quickly. Too quickly. My vision was replaced by stars for a few seconds and I nearly fell back to the ground. 

I was breathing too fast. I needed to calm down, else my heart would explode.

_Easy. Easy. Breathing slow and deep. _ _Slow and deep._

_Do as Mama taught you. _ _Slow and deep. C_ _alm down._

Still breathing a tad too fast but no longer feeling on the verge of a cardiac arrest, I looked warily around me, but didn't see any of the others.

Just me and the trees.

_I should call them, maybe they're near._

Swallowing once, twice, trying to moisten my too-dry mouth, I then cried their names, "JASON? ALANNA?" 

"...BRYAN?" 

No answer. I tried again but still, no answer. 

_Shit. I should have taken my cellphone. It's when I really need it that I don't have it. Typical._

I shivered as I glanced around me. What to do now?

_Think. THINK!_

...Well, my priority was to find the others. So, for that to happen, I should move. It wasn't by staying here without doing anything that I would find them, that was for sure.

_Where to go thought?_

Fuck. Picking a random direction, I walked between two trees. They groaned at my passage and another shiver went down my spine. 

What the hell was this place?

* * *

It was only a few minutes of wandering later, still lost and without any trace of the others, with hunger starting to gnaw at me, that somethinghappened.

**System initializing...**

**...** **3**

**...2**

**...1**

**Congratulations Humans! Your world has been fully assimilated into The System and has therefore changed. Strive to survive and evolve in this new world.**

**-Welcome to the System, Evalina Lonestar-**

**Status : **

**Evalina Lonestar **

**Class: --**

**Level: --**

**Race: Human**

**Health: 20 (5 R/h)**

**Mana: 10 (3 R/h)**

**Stamina: 15 (7 R/h)**

**Vitality: 4**

**Strength: 3**

**Dexterity: 3 **

**Agility: 5**

**Endurance: 4**

**Willpower: 4**

**Intelligence: 5**

**Wisdom: 4**

**Perception : 3 **

**Charisma: 6**

**You can view your Stats by thinking Status.**

**Congratulations! "The Rookie Road 0/5" is now open to you.**

**Congratulations! Due to being the first human in your world to suffer from an injury after being integrated into The System, the "Pain Road 0/30" is now open to you.**


	2. Chapter 1

The screen, for the lack of a better word, slowly hovered in front of me and although I turned my head, looking left and right, the screen always remained within my line of sight.

Raising my hand, I tried to touch it but my hand simply passed through.

Did the screen really existed or was I already hallucinating?

_No, it probably exists. Because no dream or hallucination could be this vivid, this life-like right?_

And was there a connection between this, this System and where I was?

_Maybe? Probably?_ _Fuck,__ I don't know!_

But the most concerning issue was what was currently written on the screen. World changed? Survive? Was this really happening? I was lost in the middle of nowhere, probably because of this System, and I had now Stats like in some sort of video game.

Everything was fiiiiine, nothing weird happening here. Yep, absolutely nothing. 

_YES, I AM BEING SARCASTIC!_

Sighing, I eyed the last message written on the screen and gently touched my wound through the makeshift bandage and winced. The piece of cloth was soaked and the wound was still painful to the touch.

Physically speaking, I felt fine but I really hoped it wouldn't get infected. Being sick and feverish was the last thing I needed.

_Not here, not now. Please._

But at least something was going my way. This Pain Road seemed to be unique to me. And what was unique was good right? Though there was nothing to be proud of being the first human to hurt herself since this "assimilation".

Letting out another sigh, I began to think. I needed a plan and quickly, because although it was hard to see the sun from here, it was getting darker and darker, so I could tell that night was coming.

_What should I do?_

There was no way I was going to look for the others while it was dark. Who knows what roamed here at night? An icy chill ran down my spine at the thought.

**You have learned the Skill Planning (Lvl1)**

I blinked. Huh. That little message revealed two interesting facts. 

1-I could learn Skills.

2-I could Level Up Skills.

Which meant that I could learn and Level Up Skills necessary for my survival. Right here, right now it wasn't helping my situation at all. I was still tired, lost and alone but it was enough for me to feel a tad better. There was hope.

Anyway, I needed to find a place to spend the night safely, which probably meant a cave because I doubt houses with comfy beds were available here.

...Okay then. I had my plan.

* * *

"Fuck!" I cursed aloud, having just slipped on a root for the third time. Night had completely set in and I could hardly see anything anymore. That plus the trees that incessantly groaned sinisterly just gave me the urge to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it, but I couldn't, I still didn't find a good place to spend the night.

I was exhausted, sweaty and I wouldn't say no to water and food either but I persevered.

_Crack_

A loud crackling noise suddenly echoed behind me and I stopped all movements, before slowly turning around. And I felt my face draining of its blood as fear gripped me within its paralyzing and cold embrace.

Something stood before me. I didn't know what exactly, I could barely see but what I could perfectly see were the four glowing red eyes staring at mefrom above, and long veins of the same color pulsing like a heartbeat, cutting its shape against the darkness.

It was shaped like a dog, or a wolf. A very big wolf, with two heads. 

What the hell was that thing? 

The System graciously answered me by writing above its looming form a second later, **Bloodfury Wolf (Lvl10)**

The wolf growled, a powerful, guttural sound that made the air and leaves shake.

It was all I needed to let myself drop on the ground, just before it leaped at me, maws wide open, filled with long and sharp fangs, gleaming like white serrated blades in the dark.

It passed over me in a shape of black and red and crashed against the tree behind me. The tree groaned loudly in response but otherwise did nothing. Not like it could have done anything in the first place anyway.

The wolf took a few steps back and shook its twins heads before glaring at me, eyes seething with rage and hunger as it growled louder.

I knew I couldn't outrun it, this thing was big and quadruped while I was small and only bipedal. And besides, there were only trees arou-...

_That's it, the trees!_

I once read about a mother who literally lifted a car to save her baby. She managed to do that because of a little thing called _adrenaline._ And right now, I could feel it within my body. Coursing through my veins and expending my senses as I felt more alive, and scared, than ever before.

I didn't waste my time and ran behind the closest tree and jumped. Catchinga branch with both my hands, I pulled myself on it.

By the time the wolf arrived, I was on an even higher branch, but the wolf could jump too.

A snapping of fangs later and half of the branch I was standing on simply disappeared and I had to squeeze myself against the trunk so as not to fall from the shaking.

_Fuck, fuck, FUCK!_

_...Come on. Don't panic. You can do it. One more jump, just one more and you're safe! _

Putting all my energy in my legs, I jumped and managed to catch another branch. The wolf jumped again too and I could hear another snap of its fangs, but it failed where I succeeded.

I was now too high. It couldn't reach me.

We eyed each other for a few moments before it abruptly turned around and left with a last angry snap. 

Sagging in relief, I leaned tiredly against the trunk and closed my eyes, falling asleep in mere seconds.

* * *

A ray of sunshine attacking my eyes woke me up and I blinked slowly before protecting them with one hand.

Yawning, I then looked around. Maybe the wolf was still there, waiting for me, waiting for its chance to strike me by surprise. I looked for a while but didn't see it, though I still waited a few more minutes, just to be sure, before finally descending carefully.

Touching the ground, I tensed, my back hurt. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I wasn't used to sleeping in trees after all. Maybe I should stretch. I had to stretch a lot in my life because of my hikes, so I knew how to stretch right. Besides I loved to stretch, it simply felt good.

A few minutes later, after having stretched properly, I touched my bandage. It was dry but I winced anyway. The wound was still painful but fortunately, I didn't seem to have a fever, it probably wasn't infected then. That was a relief.

Something kept bothering me since I woke up though. I had these small white dots constantly flashing in the corner of my eyes and they were becoming, quite frankly, annoying.

_...Hmmm. If this is like a game, maybe..._

Standing still, I concentrated on these white dots, wishing them to grow, and to my delight, they did.

_But I hadn't needed to do that when I gained my Skill Planning. Was it because it was the first Skill I learned?...Well, who cares, let's look at these._

**You have learned the Skill Dodging (Lvl1)**

**You have learned the skill Climbing (Lvl1)**

**Endurance +1**

**Stamina Regeneration +1**

**+1 Stamina**

Okay...Good? Yes, I nodded to myself, it was good. It could only be good because it helped me. Helped me to survive.

Wishing the notifications to disappear, which they did, I then thought Status in my mind and it appeared before my eyes. I knew that I couldn't judge myself by seeing my Status because I had nothing with which I could compare it. There was apparently nobody here besides me and at least one monster-wolf, but still, I felt weak.

Sighing, I looked at the end of my Status. I apparently had **5 Road Points**. There were also symbols **+** next to Rookie Road and Pain Road**.**

Well, pretty straightforward. Clicking on the **+** next toRookie Road_, _a screen appeared in my view.

**Rookie Road 1/5. +1 free stat point**

_...Let's click again._

**Rookie Road 2/5. +1 free stat point**

**Rookie Road 3/5. +1 free stat point**

**Rookie Road 4/5. +1 free stat point**

**Rookie Road 5/5. +1 free stat point**

**Congratulations! You have completed the "Rookie Road". +5 free stat points. You have learned the skills Meditation (Lvl1) and Mana Manipulation (Lvl1).**

**Congratulations! You have completed your first road. +1 to all stats. Continue to finish the roads open to you.**

**Congratulations! The "Beginner Road 0/10" is now open to you.**

Oh. Hum. I slapped my cheeks with my hands and shook my head. 

Alright. Alright, alright, alright. So now, I had 10 points to invest in any stats that I wanted.

_But what to choose?_

I made my choice after a few minutes. I would put 3 points in Strength and Vitality. I needed both of them to survive here so they were the most important for now and 2 points in Endurance and Willpower.

**+3 Health Regeneration**

**+3 Health**

**+2 Stamina Regeneration**

**+2 Stamina**

**+1 Mana**

**+1 Mana Regeneration**

The changes were immediate...and painful. I felt my body, my muscles and organs, twisting and _growing _inside me. When it was finished, about 3 seconds later, even if it felt longer, I was slightly taller and leaner. And I felt good, very good as I stared in wonder at my Status.

**Status :**

**Evalina Lonestar**

**Class: --**

**Level: --**

**Race: Human**

**Health: 24 (9 R/h)**

**Mana: 11 (4 R/h)**

**Stam: 19 (11 R/h)**

**Vitality: 8**

**Strength: 7**

**Dexterity: 4**

**Agility: 6**

**Endurance: 9**

**Willpower: 7**

**Intelligence: 6**

**Wisdom: 5**

**Perception: 4**

**Charisma: 7**

**Skills: Mana Manipulation (Lvl1), Meditation (Lvl1), Dodging (Lvl1), Sprinting (Lvl1), Climbing (Lvl1), Planning (Lvl1).**

**Roads: The Pain Road 0/30, The Beginner Road 0/10.**

_...Well, that's enough gawking._

It was time to move, but before that, I needed something to defend myself. I searched around for a while but found nothing except dead woods, roots, and rocks. Well then. If there was nothing on the ground...I looked up, at the branches.

A few minutes later, composed mainly of swearing and grunting, I finally had a branch in my hands and went to pick up some rocks, the sharpest I could find. Leaning against a trunk, I cut at the branch, slicing and sharpening it.

Half an hour later, at most, I admired my work. I now had a real wooden spear...Okay, not really, it was just a crude branch with a sharp end.

**You have learned the Skill Crafting (Lvl1)**

A faint smile crossed my face. A smile that quickly turned into a pained grimace as I dropped my spear and looked at my hands. They were raw and bleeding.

Great. Tearing the remaining sleeve of my shirt with my teeth, I tore it in two ends and wrapped them around my bleeding hands. Getting up and grabbing my spear, I then plunged back into the dense forest.

In the opposite direction that the wolf had taken, of course.


	3. Chapter 2

Sometimes later, as I couldn't really tell what time of the day it was with the foliage blocking my sight of the sun, I untied my head-bandage. My wound was healed. There was only crust left and it didn't hurt just by touching any longer unless I pressed really hard.

At that, I untied the bandages wrapped around my hands too and smiled. My hands were healed too. Already. I was right to put points into Vitality.

Tying the bandage from my forehead around my arm, I re-tied the other bandages around my hands again. They were protecting my hands quite well against the rubbing of the wood.

I resumed my way, alert. I couldn't let myself be taken by surprise again. I almost died the first time.

What felt like several more hours passed as I wandered through the forest and a drop of sweat ran down my forehead to fall into my eye and I blinked while rubbing it.

**Perception +1**

Inhaling sharply, I suddenly sneezed, wrinkling my nose afterward. The smell of the forest, that smell of wet earth and fresh leaves felt stronger somehow, deeper. I also felt like, like I could hearnoises from further away, and the constant darkness impregnating the forest disappeared a little. I could see better too_._

_So that's what Perception does._

Maybe later, when I had points, I would invest some in it. I continued my wandering.

Where the hell were the others? 

* * *

God. I almost wanted to cry. Not because something bad happened, quite the contrary in fact. Just ahead of me was the most magnificent, the most beautiful view of these last two horrifying days.

Ahead of me was a river. 

Walking slowly to the edge of it, I knelt and put my hands into the water, shivering in delight. It was so cold and so clear, so pure. Making a cup with my hands, I drank, again and again. It was so good.

When my thirst was quenched, I was content to just sat there for a few moments, resting.

_...Hmm? What was that?_

I just saw a shape stirring within the water and I perked up as a thought crossed my mind. Maybe there were fishes in-

Pain. Pure and agonizing pain.

_It hurt_. _My arm._ _IT HURT_. 

My body tensed as waves of pain arose from my forearm and I looked at it in shock through tearful eyes. A small snake was hanging from it, fangs planted deeply into my flesh.

_God. Please. Don't be venomous._

Fear and panic guided my next actions. Taking the snake's head with my free hand, I pulled and managed to tear away its fangs from my arm. Then, I threw it as far as possible from me.

Its scales were a shade of green streaked with black, and turning, it stared at me with two slitted and cold yellow eyes from the other side of the river.

**Greenvenom Snake (Lvl5)**

Cradling my arm and suppressing a sob as I did, I stared at the snake while cautiously and slowly stepping back but the serpent hissed furiously at my blatant attempt to run away that and began sliding quickly towards me.

Grimacing with pain, I uncradled my injured arm picked up my spear just as the snake came out of the water once more, leaping at me with its maw wide open.

I used my spear like a baseball bat. With only one arm, but still, the snake flew in the air and crashed against a trunk before falling on the ground.

I realized with horror that the pain in my arm wasn't stopping, in fact, it was increasing and I knew why. Because, judging by the name it had, **Greenvenom**_,_ it was probably venomous.

Which meant that my prayer hadn't been answered.

Taking my decision in a split second, I jumped with my whole body on the snake, crushing it against the ground and quickly took its head in my good hand. It wriggled and hissed with all its strength, trying to escape but I wasn't going to let it.

_If I'm going to die because of you, then I'm sure as hell going to take you with me!_

Blinking furiously to drive away the tears from my eyes, I noticed a stone right next to me. Sadly, it on the side of my injured arm...But I had no choice. I reached out with my injured arm and took the stone, sobbing at the agonizing pain.

My vision went red as I repeatedly crushed the stone against the snake's head. But eventually, I had to drop the stone. My arm was literally paralyzed. But it didn't mattered any longer.

The snake was dead, its skull crushed.

I let myself fall beside its corpse, blood on my hands and face, mixed with tears. I was so tired. I couldn't muster the strength to get up so I just lay there, helpless. And when I closed my eyes, darkness swallowed me.

**You have learned the Skill Venom Resistance (Lvl1)**


	4. Chapter 3

I woke up feeling surprisingly good for someone who should be dead. Looking at my arm, I blinked confusingly for a few seconds before scrambling up to my feet in panic as a ball of green moss, glowing of a radiant golden-green light, fell to the ground at my feet.

Taking a few steps back, I looked at it, and just before my wide-open eyes, it suddenly began to move and I may or may have not squealed with distress as it did. Slowly crawling on a root and then on a trunk, it soon stopped dead still, no longer glowing. Just a perfectly innocent mass of tree-moss.

_Jesus.Fucking.Christ._

Looking at my healed arm, I shuddered. Even this thing apparently healed me and probably saved my life, the thought of it crawling on me while I was unconscious...I stopped breathing as a chilling thought entered my mind.

Quickly checking myself and around, I sighed in relief and relaxed _slightly _as I confirmed the fact that this thing had been the only one on me.

_Thank God._

Maybe now that I was _alone,_ I could finally look at these flashing, and still quite annoying, Notifications.

**You have Leveled up to Lvl 3. +3 Free stat points**

**You have learned the Skill Strike (Lvl1).**  
**Your Skill Strike has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Dodging has Leveled up to Lvl 3. +4 RP**

**Your Skill Venom Resistance has Leveled up to Lvl 7. +12 RP**

**Agility +1**

**Endurance +1**

**Willpower +1**

I couldn't bring myself to smile. I almost died again. Closing the Notifications, I then called my Status. Looking down at it, I saw that I currently had **18 Road Points**.

Pushing my long and messy black hair back from my face, I started to think. I should probably invest these points into my new road, The Beginner Road 0/10, as I had more than enough points to finish it in one go.

Putting my points and confirming my choice, I was rewarded by a cascade of notifications.

**"The Beginner Road 1/10" +1 Free stat point.**

  
**"The Beginner Road 2/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 3/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 4/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 5/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 6/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 7/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 8/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 9/10" +1 Free stat point.**

**"The Beginner Road 10/10." +1 Free stat point.**

**Congratulations! You have completed "The Beginner Road". +5 Free stat points. +2 Health per level and +2 Stamina per level.**

**Congratulations! "The Talented Road 0/20" is now open to** **you.**

Wow. 

This time, I couldn't keep the smile from breaking out on my face as excitement and happiness of all things filled me. 

Choosing to put my 8 remaining points into my other road, The Pain Road, my smile didn't disappear even though I gained absolutely nothing from it.

_Now then._

For my free stat points, I didn't waste my time thinking if I should or not put points in Vitality and Strength. I had to. I instead debated if I should also invest in Agility, because, if I had been invested points in it from the start, maybe I could have dodged the snake's attack, and _that_ would have avoided me a world of pain.

_...Yeah, let's invest in Agility._

I would divide the remaining points between Endurance and Willpower.

**\+ 4 Health**

**\+ 1 Stamina**

**+4 Health Regeneration**

**+1 Stamina Regeneration**

I flinched as the pain hit me at full force but fortunately, the changes were over in the time of a heartbeat. Breathing and exhaling deeply, I then looked at my Status, feeling somewhat happy by what I saw. 

**Status:**

**Evalina Lonestar**

**Class: -- **

**Level 3**

**Race: Human **

**Health: 28 (13 R/h)**

**Mana: 11 (4 R/h)**

**Stamina: 20 (12 R/h)**

**Vitality: 12**

**Strength: 11**

**Dexterity: 4**

**Agility: 10**

**Endurance: 10**

**Willpower: 9**

**Intelligence: 6**

**Wisdom: 5**

**Perception: 5**

**Charisma: 7**

**Skills: Crafting (Lvl1) , Climbing (Lvl1) , Dodging (Lvl2) , Planning (Lvl1), Sprinting (Lvl1) , Venom Resistance (Lvl7), Strike (Lvl2), Meditation (Lvl1), Mana manipulation (Lvl1).**

**Roads: The Talented Road 0/20, The Pain Road 8/30.**

  
Closing my Status, I picked up my spear from the ground and approached with caution the edge of the river. After glaring into the water for several minutes, looking for another snake, I finally knelt when I was more or less sure that nothing was going to attack me and undertook to wash my hands and face of the blood.

When I felt clean enough, I took up the snake's corpse and left the river. I would try to eat the snake tonight if I couldn't find anything else...I didn't think I would ever say that, but I wanted to stay alive and dying from starvation just because I was too picky with food would be a pretty stupid way to die. Still gross though.

I had to stay unconscious for a while because it was almost dark. Damnit, I desperately needed to find a place to sleep. I wasn't too fond of the idea of spending another night sleeping in a tree. By the time it was completely dark, I managed to found a cave set inside a cliff, in a clear space with no trees around it.

_Thank you, ray of moonlight that somehow managed to pass through the dense foliage to show me a cave that I desperately needed._

Putting the snake around my neck and grimacing at the cold touch of its scales against my skin, I slowly walked to the entrance and peered inside, but only saw darkness. I stood there, hesitating and listening for a while, before taking a deep breath and steeling myself.

Entering the cave while always holding a hand against the wall, I made the tour of it, heart pounding in my chest and spear always pointed in front me.

...The cave was empty.

My shoulders sagged and I let out a relieved sigh. I had finally found a place to spend the night. Dropping the snake on the ground, I went outside and quickly picked up some branches and stones. 

Next step was to try to light a fire.

Putting the branches in a heap on the floor, I then took two stones and slammed them together, trying to create some sparks. I once saw people doing that on TV. It took me a while, probably like several hours, at least it felt that way, and let me remind you that I had to do it in complete darkness.

And my hands hurt, but nothing I could about that.

When the pile of wood began to catch fire, I swiftly added more leaves and dry woods and soon enough, I had a real campfire at my feet, chasing away the darkness and warming me up. I was pretty lucky that nothing within this cursed forest found me during all that time it took me.

**Your Skill Crafting has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Planning has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

Taking up a branch, I wrapped the snake's corpse around it and held it over the growing flames. I licked my lips and my stomach growled as a delicious smell of grilled snake meat soon spread into the cave. I was so hungry.


	5. Chapter 4

My stomach growled louder and louder as minutes ticked by, until I finally groaned aloud, "It's so loooong!"

At this rate, I was gonna die from starvation before it was fully cooked! 

I was positioned back against the far-end wall, that way I could keep an eye on the entrance. Looking at the flames, I then stared at my hands. They looked like a baby's hands. No scratch, no mark, no scar. _Spotless._ I wasn't sure I liked that. Scars were like trophies, proofs of what I endured and that I survived, they were supposed to be a part of me but whether I liked it or not, The System didn't care for my opinion. I had no other choice but to get used to it.

Rubbing my eyes with one hand, I opened my Status. I had 4 RP left and they quickly went into my Pain Road. Who knows, maybe this time I would gain something.

**The Pain Road 12/30.**

**+4 Health**

Well, better than nothing I guess.

_...Wait a minute._

This time I gained +4 in Health but my Health Regeneration didn't increase. I narrowed my eyes in thought. The only time I gained points in my Health Regeneration, and in my Stamina Regeneration, was the time when I added points in both Vitality and Endurance.

_Which means that 1 point in Vitality = 1 Health Regeneration and that 1 point in Endurance = 1 Stamina Regeneration. _

Having cracked one of the numerous mysteries of the System, sarcasm right there,I then spent the next minutes glaring at the grilling snake, wishing it to grill _faster_. I wouldn't eat this scaled fiend until I was sure and I mean absolutely sure that it was grilled properly, better safe than sorry.

Several minutes later, as my belly ached, I finally judged that the snake was properly grilled. There were no longer scales on it, they had all fallen off at some point, it was just meat now. I blew on it for a moment. I didn't want to burn myself. Only then, I took a hesitant bite and...still burned myself.

IT WAS SO HOT!

Sticking out my burned tongue, I let the cool air of the night soften the burn. Letting a few moments pass, I resumed to blew on it for a while and only tried to re-take a bite when I was satisfied by its heat. I chewed for a moment before swallowing and was pleasantly surprised. The meat was hard but good.

Cleaning my chin and mouth with the back of my hand after I was done eating, I then licked my fingers, cleaning them one by one. I ate all of the snake, except its _slightly_ crushed head because I once saw on a documentary that it was there that the venom glands were situated.

Dropping my hands and sighing contently, I then lay down by the fire, spear beside me and closed my tired eyes. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

* * *

I slept through the night like a _baby,_ probably because of how exhausted I had been. Waking up feeling rested but sore, I did a little stretching session and God, it felt good. When I finished, I opened the Notifications that had popped up.

**You have learned the Skill Cold Resistance (Lvl1)**

**Your Skill Cold Resistance has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

Good, that will certainly be useful ifI had to spend more nights here. As for the RP points, I put them directly into my Pain Road, bringing it to 14/30 but no notification appeared and I shrugged. I hadn't expected much anyway.

I suddenly wrinkled my nose in disgust at my stench hit me. God, I smelled awful. I really needed to clean myself up a bit. But was my personal hygiene worth the risk of being attacked by another snake? My grimace deepened as I passed a hand through the tangled locks of my hair, answering my question. Yes, it was.

Leaving the cave, spear in one hand and snake head in the other, I walked towards the river. Nothing attacked me, even when I stopped midway to bury the snake's head. I didn't want predators, like the giant and mutated wolf, roaming out here to find me by smelling my leftovers after all. Another thing I saw in a documentary.

Even though I arrived at the river safely, I didn't go straight to the edge of it, preferring to look around first. Maybe another snake was waiting for me, wanting to avenge its kin. A few instants passed by as I checked around. It seemed safe enough.

After cleaning myself a little, especially my hair, I tapped my cheeks and got up, determined. It was time to go back looking for the others.

* * *

Alanna coughed several times, blinked groggily and sat down. The sun's rays blinded her and she protected her eyes with her arm. Looking around, she saw Jason and Brian lying next to her, motionless but breathing. Unconscious then. She sighed with relief but abruptly froze a second later.

_Wait. Where is Eval-_

Jason woke up so suddenly that he scared the hell out of her. Breathing deeply, he sat down too and pushed his blond hair out the way, looking at her with wide and confused green eyes, only relaxing when he recognized her, "You're okay? What the fuck happened?" He looked around and frowned, "and where are we?"

They were in a field, right next to a road. Definitely not in the mountains, but this place seemed familiar to her so they shouldn't be far from the city.

Alanna, still trying to bring back under control her pounding heartbeat, responded, "I don't know, it looked like some kind of earthquake..." Looking around, she then tried to inform him, "But listen, that's not important at the moment, Ev-"

Brian, waking up, coughing and spitting, interrupted her and she groaned. Reaching out, she stroked him on the back, to soothe him. He gave her a panicked look that soon vanished and was replaced by relief when he saw it was just her. Helping him to sit down, he saw Jason and gave him a weak smile. Then looking around, he frowned before looking at us again, then around and back at us again before asking, "Where is Evalina?"

_Thank you Brian, _Alannathough.

Where was Evalina?


	6. Chapter 5

It seemed that I had attained the end of the forest. In front of me stood a jungle, which I couldn't enter. A high green wall of intertwined plants stretched indefinitely left and right, barring the access to it. But that wasn't all.

The border between the two, the forest and the jungle, wasn't gradual. No, instead the two were separated by a straight line that cut perfectly between the two of them, like a cut between worlds. If not for the wall, I only had one step to take to pass from one to the other. One moment I was in a forest, the next I could be standing in a jungle. 

It didn't shock me as much as it should have. I was strangely getting used to the weirdness of this place.

I used my spear to hack at the plants that formed the wall but they were too tightly intertwined and my spear wasn't just sharp enough, it was just wood after all, not metal. Heaving tiredly after my failed attempt, I took a step back when suddenly, something landed on my shoulders, causing my knees to buckle under the impact as I felt sharp things, claws I assumed, digging into the flesh of my shoulders.

Only my panicked reflexes saved me.

I dropped my spear and reached out blindly behind my head and felt a rough fur. Gripping it strongly, I pulled with both hands and threwthe thing on the ground but it used its clawed paws to cartwheel through the air, clearly wishing to put distance between us now that its ambush failed. It landed behind the green wall of the jungle and disappeared.

It was quick, terrifyingly so, but I had enough time to analyze it.

**Wildjungle Monkey (Lvl8)**

A monkey? Fuck, I loved monkeys, they were just so cute but apparently here, even the monkeys were murderous beasts hungry for human flesh. Picking up my spear, I looked sharply at the green wall me but nothing moved, there was no noise nor movements.

_Did it leave? Or is it still here, binding its time, waiting for the next perfect opportunity?_

Dammit, I needed to know. Okay then. Deep breath, concentrate, concentrate! See Perception as a bubble, reaching outward with me at the center. I pushed and stretchedmy senses to the maximum. Perception was a zone and was the center.

At first, I felt nothing but after a short moment, I slightly felt somethingwithin that zone. A faint presence, nearly invisible and I focused all of my attention on it. It was right above me, having left the jungle to position itself on a branch of a forest tree but I refrained to glance in its direction. Instead, I waited while pretending to try again to cut the plants that formed the wall.

Several more minutes passed and I was beginning to have the start of a headache when I suddenly felt the monkey move, jumping from his perch to attack me in the back, again.

Whirling around, I lifted my spear, sharp end pointing upward. The monkey couldn't change its trajectory while in the air with its speed and impaled itself on my spear, right in the chest. My spear broke in two under the shock and I fell on the ground with the monkey's body on me. Blood spurted on my face and I pushed the body to the side and lifted myself up, shaking.

Leaning on my knees, I tried to catch my breath. Fuck. After a few seconds, breathing back under control, I used a clean corner of my bloody shirt to wipe the blood of my sweaty face. Exhaling deeply, I finally stared at the corpse and gulped. _That_ wasn't a monkey.

Green fur. Bat-like face with protruding fangs. Two wooden horns, curling and pointing upward. Sharp and long black claws. That thing was definitely not the cute animal that I loved.

**Your Skill Strike has Leveled up to Lvl 3. +2 RP**

**You have Leveled up to Lvl 7. +4 Free stat points**

I sighed. Okay, good. No points gained in Perception though. Less good.

_Well, let's not waste more time than needed here. _

Putting one foot on the body, I pulled my impaled broken spear while being very careful to not be splashed by blood. Then, I went to break a tree branch and took some time to sharpen a new spear. I wanted to put the corpse in the cave and I couldn't go back there without something to defend myself, even if it was just another crude branch with a sharp end. It was better than nothing.

**Your Skill Crafting has Leveled up to Lvl 3. +2 RP**

I would assign my points back to the cave. Crouching down, I took one the monkey's leg in one hand and pulled, dragging it on the ground, heading towards the cave. 

Nothing happened on the ride back and I reached the cave safely. Dropping the body near the remains of the campfire, I let myself fall heavily on the ground, staring at the ceiling.

_Well, that went well, right?_

Sighing, I opened my Status. Hum. I think that for this time, I will invest in Agility and Endurance. The monkey's speed had been scary and I also neededto increase my stamina.

_Look at me, I'm exhausted. _

Investing two points in Endurance and Agility, I then put my 4 RP into my Pain Road, bringing it to 18/30 but still gained nothing. Ugh, that was starting to get old really fast.

Stretching my shoulders, I glanced at the claws marks on them and smiled. They were already healed. 

Standing up, spear in hand, I steeled myself and headed out of the cave, toward the jungle. Maybe _there was_ an entrance, and that I had simply not discovered it yet. It was worth another look.

* * *

I was attacked by another killer-monkey while I searched for an entrance in the wall and this time managed to kill it without breaking my spear.

By killing it, I went up to Level 8 and it gave me a free point that I invested in Perception. I dropped its body next to the other in the cave and headed out again, but still found nothing. Not an entrance nor any of the others.

I was now on the way back, walking between the giant trees, trying to make it back to the cave before nightfall but stopped when I saw a red light coming from my left. Pulsing. Glancing at that light, my blood ran cold.

It was the wolf.

It stilled when it saw that I had noticed it and then to my horror, slowly grinned, displaying its gleaming fangsand horror and fear paralyzed me as I analyzed it numbly.

**Bloodfury Wolf (Lvl13)**

It even gained a few levels since last time.

_Shit. Shit, shit!shit!shit!shit! _

_Do I run? Do I climb on another tree?...Or should I fight it? Am I strong enough?_

Fuck. I couldn't always run. If I ran away now...Crushing my wooden spear in a white-knuckled grip, I slowly pointed it at the wolf. 

...

_Did this place finally make me lose my mind?_


	7. Chapter 6

The wolf began to run, faster and faster, soon sprinting between the trees and making the ground tremble under its furious steps as I just stood there, arms shaking.

_Why the fuck did I even though for a second that it was a good idea to fight it?_ _Stupid, so goddamn stupid!_

I hadn't time to hide or run any longer, the wolf was almost on me. Only a few steps away now. My breathing became frantic and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I desperately tried to think of an idea to get me out of this situation.

_Don't panic, don't you dare fucking panic, think instead, THINK!_

...I had a plan. No, that was a lie, it was more of a desperate gamble than an actual plan, but it was my only chance as far as I could see. I only had a wooden spear and of not very good quality at that, so I didn't think I could pierce through all its mass of fur, but its eyes were huge. And eyes were soft.

If I could put my spear into one of them...Well, it wouldn't kill it, just injure it but maybe, maybe it would give me enough time to really run away. And for that, I needed to be quick. like really, really quick.

Now, the wolf was on me.

Hungrily opening its massive maws, it jumped at me but I dashed on the side, dodging. Then putting my feet on an elevated root and pushing on my legs as it turned around, I jumped towards its head. And impaled my spear into one of its huge glowing red eyes.

I dropped my spear as I crashed heavily against its body, the shock emptying the air of my lungs, before falling on the ground, dazed. Above my limp form, the wolf howled maddeningly and began to blindly thrash around, crashing into trees and uprooting bushes. 

And then, as I was slowly getting up, a sound of wood breaking reached my ears and I looked up. The wolf was crushed under a broken tree. But it appeared that it wouldn't stop it for long because as I watched, horrified, the wolf started to lift the trunk.

I ran. 

Arriving at the cave, gasping for breath, I hid inside and for the first time in a long, long time, prayed. Outside, the wolf was still howling ragingly. Time slowly passed by, oh ever so slowly. And while I hid, trembling, the howls seemed to become more and more desperatebefore stopping completely.

The flashing dot alerting me of new Notifications suddenly appeared in the corner of my eye and opening it, I began to read but stopped after reading the first one.

I had leveled up to Lvl 11. Which meant...Deflating like a balloon, I lay down on the floor, tension and fear leaving my body. The wolf was dead. But, how? Surely not because of me and my pointy branch right? There was no way.

_...Fuck. Why do I even care?_

The wolf was deadand it was all that mattered. My idea had truly been terrible though.

I should make a few spears and store them here, in case. I shudder to think of what would have happened if my gamble hadn't paid off and the wolf had followed me here. A few minutes passed by as I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, replaying the fight in my head. Then shaking my head, I resumed reading the notifications.

**You have Leveled up to Lvl 11. +4 Free stat points.**

**Your Skill Dodging has Leveled up to Lvl 4. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Strike has Leveled up to Lvl 4. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Sprinting has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Sprinting Leveled up to Lvl 3. +2 RP**

**Congratulations Human! You have reached level 10. You have therefore reached the first stage of your new life within the System. Know that the test to earn a class will take place at level 20. Be ready.**

Mmm, I needed to stabilize my stats, to balance them a bit. Dexterity was clearly getting left behind compared to my other physical Stats. So 2 points in Dexterity and then 2 points in Perception, because I seriously needed to increase it too.

As for my RP, I quickly invested them into my Pain Road. 

The last message intrigued me though. A class? I glanced at my Status and true enough, there was a line with Class written there, with an empty space next to it. But Level 20? Fuck.Me. It had been hard enough just to get to Level 10 and now I needed to get to Level 20? And a test?

_Really?_

Ugh.I grimaced, already exhausted just by thinking about it.

**Status:**

**Evalina Lonestar**

**Class: -**

**Level: 11**

**Race: Human**

**Health: 38 (13 R / h)**

**Mana: 11 (4 R / h)**

**Stamina: 30 (12 R / h)**

**Vitality: 12**

**Strength: 11**

**Dexterity: 6**

**Agility: 10**

**Endurance: 10**

**Willpower: 9**

**Intelligence: 6**

**Wisdom: 5**

**Perception: 9**

**Charisma: 7**

**Skills: Crafting (Lvl3), Climbing (Lvl1), Dodging (Lvl4), Planning (Lvl2), Sprinting (Lvl3), Venom Resistance (Lvl7), Strike (Lvl4), Meditation (Lvl1), Mana manipulation (Lvl1).**

**Roads: The Talented Road 0/20, The Pain Road 26/30.**

I closed my status. And paused, staring. Another Notification was flashing in the corner of my eye, even though I was sure I had read them all. A frown on my face, I sat down before opening it.

**Congratulations! Trough all of your trials and hardship, by surviving alone, surrounded by enemies and where the law of the strongest reign, you have won the Skill Instinct (Lvl1).**

A chuckle escaped my mouth. A chuckle that quickly turned into a full belly laugh as tears streamed down my eyes and my abdominal muscles began to hurt.

God, it felt good to laugh.


	8. Chapter 7

I've just thought of something interesting, and what I mean by that is that I thought of something worth looking into.

Let's say someone has a high Perception Stat coupled with a high-leveled Instinct Skill, wouldn't that person almost be omniscient? Aware of everything happening around her? Like, never be caught by surprise?...God, now I really wanted to have that. Well, as I said, it was worth looking into.

But enough about that. I hadn't time to dream-around, I wanted, no, wanted was the wrong word for it, I _needed_ to see the wolf's corpse, to confirm the death of that, that monster with my own eyes. Night hadn't completely set in yet and the place of our fight wasn't far, so I had enough time for a quick look.

_If I hurry._

Getting up, I cautiously approached the exit of the cave and peeked around. No monster in sight. Was my idea a good idea or another terrible one? Probably the latter, but I slowly stepped out of the cave anyway.

* * *

I hurried my steps, I was almost there. Advancing a few more meters, walking between the old gnarling trees, I finally saw it. A huge black shadow, unmoving and lying under the trunk of a fallen tree.

_So...it didn't manage to lift up the tree? But...I saw..._

I paused a few steps away from the dead-still body as I confirmed my suspicions. I was right. It wasn't me who killed it. Roots were sunk inside it, in its chest, in its head, everywhere. Some were motionless but some moved, twitching and crawling inside its body. 

I could hear the sound of them in it, tearing the flesh and breaking the bones and a cold shiver of horror went down my spine. I shouldn't have come. Truly, another terrible idea.

I ran. Again.

Back in the cave, I sat down, knees drawn against my chest and looked in front of me without really seeing anything as shivers still running through my body.

_First, the mosses, now the trees. What's wrong with this fucking place?_

Tears formed into my eyes but I blinked furiously to chase them away. I wouldn't cry. The memory of me, my mother and sister playing hide-and-seek in our yard appeared into my mind and brought a smile on my face despite the situation. I wasn't going to despair. I would survive.

I sniffed wetly.

_You'll see._

A few moments passed by before I rubbed my eyes and stood up. I needed to lit a fire. Glancing outside, I let out a tired sigh. 

_God, what an idiot. I should have make a stock._

Cautiously leaving the cave, I went quickly, almost sprinting really, to get branches and leaves that I then deposited inside. Sitting down and making a pile, I started trying to light a fire. It didn't take as long as the first time but it still took a while.

Then, sharp stone in hand, I began to sharpen the sturdiest and longest branches remaining, crafting myself other spears and my poor hands suffered again.

**Your Skill Crafting has Leveled up to Lvl 4. +2 RP**

Putting these two points into my Pain Road, I stood up as my stomach growled. Glancing at the bodies of the monkeys and then at the sharp rock in my hand, I grimaced. Could I do it? Another loud growl answered me and I steeled myself, determined. Fetching one of the bodies and dropping it by the fire, I began to skin it or at least tried. 

Since it was the first time that I did this, it was hard, long, messy and disgusting. I nearly threw up a few times while doing it but in the end, I had enough clean meat to eat.

**You have learned the Skill Skinning (Lvl1)**

I didn't smile. Instead, I glanced at the other body.

_I don't have a freezer where I can store it so I should probably skin it now too._

Grimacing, I fetched the second body and skinned it too. It was actually easier this time. A little.

**Your Skill Skinning has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

Disregarding the freshly skinned body at my feet, I completed my Pain Road. 

**Congratulations! You have completed "The Pain Road".**

**Congratulations! "The Torment Road 0/60" is now open to you.**

**You have been awarded a new Stat: Resistance**

**Resistance: The ability to endure blows more easily. Your skin and bones will become harder at every point added. **

**All Stats slots are full. Do you want to exchange one of your Stat against the Resistance Stat? Y/N**

...Not what I excepted but I'll take it. Opening my Status, my eyes went down before locking on Charisma. That stat was useless. Well, to be fair, in another place and another time, I suppose it could actually be useful but not here and now_._

Answering **yes**, another page opened, asking me which Stat I would like to exchange and I answered by selecting Charisma.

The change was immediate and for the first time, painless. Looking back at my Status, I saw that Charisma had indeed disappeared and that instead, Resistance was in its place, without any point in it, unfortunately, but it was still an improvement.

Closing the screen, I smiled. 

_I WILL survive._


	9. Chapter 8

Grilled monkey meat was surprisingly not as good as snake grilled meat. It tasted weird, in a way I couldn't really describe, but it was just meat and it filled my stomach plenty enough so I didn't mind that much about it.

I sighed as I finished eating, staring down sadly at my hands and forearms. They were so dirty, bloody and greasy. And I couldn't clean them, it was dark outside so I couldn't go to the river. I had no choice, really. I wiped them on my pants, and now my pants were almost as dirty as my shirt was, which smelled awful.

Yawning hugely, I lay down, ready to call it a night but just as I was going to close my eyes, a thought passed through my mind and I paused, before opening my Status, focusing my attention on one of my Skill. The Skill Mana Manipulation.

The next few minutes were really frustrating. I knew that Mana was often referring to magic in games, at least I think it was but no matter what I did, nothing happened. I couldn't make the Skill work, no, rather, I didn't understand how it worked and so groaning, I soon gave up.

_What a waste of time, I should just have gone to sleep._

And closing my Status and my eyes, I did just that.

* * *

I dreamed of my family. Of my sister and mother, of my friends. Everything was going perfectly well in the land of unicorns and rainbows until a strange sound woke me up, like nails scratching a chalkboard. 

Opening my eyes, I didn't get up but instead stayed perfectly still. My Instinct Skill was blaring in my guts, screaming one word, one feeling. 

_Danger_.

Sensing around with my Perception, I found something just a few steps away from me, standing near the entrance_. _I wasn't alone in the cave anymore.

I heard the sound of claws clicking against the ground as I closed my hands around a spear before slowly, very, very slowly sitting down while turning my head to look at the intruder. And an icy chill ran through my body as I saw the creature.

A tall and clearly malnourished body, with long arms hanging down to its knees. Hands and feet with long and curved claws. A head without eyes and a mouth filled with rows of yellowing fangs. Two slits for a nose and long triangular ears glued against an elongated skull. Skin wrinkled and of a dull white.

Calling on the System, I analyzed it.

**Infant Blind Horror (Lvl17)**

_Level 17?! God Help me, I'm only level 11!...Fuck, I should have buried the remains of the monkeys immediately after eating them, even though it had been night._

The creature was sniffing the air as I rose, still very slow in my movements, but apparently, I still must have moved too fast because the thing snapped its head towards me, staring, and managing to give the impression of eying me without having actual eyes.

It stood still for a few seconds before abruptly howling, the sound reverberating against the walls in an awful cacophony, and then leaped at me with inhuman speed, claws reaching forward.

I rolled on the side and tried to dodge but I must have moved too soon because it adjusted itself in response and hit me with its arm, sending me crashing against a wall and I fell on the ground, groaning in pain. The creature was on me the next instant but I managed to punch it, sending its head flying to the side. Snarling wordlessly, I smashed my fist against its head one more time as its claws ripped into my body.

Withstanding the pain, I took up my spear at my side and thrust it deep between its visible ribs. The creature thrashed and screeched near my face, causing my ears to ring. It dropped me and pulled back, the spear still in its body and I just wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Half jumping and half limping to my other spears, I picked one up, arms bloody and torn, and threw it point first at the thing, striking it in the shoulder.

My first threw ever.

_Dexterity and Strength, thank you._

Its screech intensified in volume and it fell to the ground. Taking up another spear, I charged the thing while it was down, ignoring my wounds. Rushing at it, I just had time to saw a flash before suddenly feeling a burning pain on my chest and I gasped painfully. My chest was torn open.

Grinding my teeth and crushing the pain under my will, I brought down my spear in a downward strike, thrusting it in its neck. The screeching brutally stopped as the thing made a choking sound, drowning in its own blood. It twitched and contorted a few times before finally going limp, black blood pooling underneath it. 

Notifications flashed brightly in the corner of my eye and I felt some of my wounds slowly closing themselves as I let myself drop on the ground, heaving exhaustedly.

_That had been close, too close_.

My chest still burned painfully and I winced. Fuck. Were there other things like that in this cursed place? 

Taking several deep breaths, I managed to bring back my breathing under control and then stared at the ceiling for a few minutes as my wounds slowly healed...I had a lot of claws wounds.

A few more minutes passed before I finally opened my Notifications.

**Resistance +3.**

**Your Skill Dodging has Leveled up to Lvl 5. +4 RP**

**Your Skill Strike has Leveled up to Lvl 6. +8 RP**

**Your Skill Instinct has Leveled up to Lvl 2. +2 RP**

**You have learned the Skill Throwing (Lvl1).**

**You have learned the Skill Pain Resistance (Lvl1).**

**You have Leveled up to Lvl 15. +4 Free Stat Points.**

**More informations are available on the Blind Horrors. Do you want to consult them?**

I hummed thoughtfully. The last message intrigued me. Having more information could only help me, so after selecting **yes**, another screen appeared.

**The Blinds Horrors are the spawns and loyal footsoldiers of Yagaldetl the Floating Horror, a Writhing One. The Writhing Ones are malignant and extremely powerful beings, older than the System itself. Each of them has their own mysterious goals. Where there are Writhing Ones, death and destruction are never far away. Proceed with caution.**


	10. Chapter 9

_In this cold universe, greater than life and death, The Writhing Ones awaits._

Extract from the book, "The Song of The Writhing Ones"

* * *

I stared, eyes wide. 

_Writhing Ones? Death and destruction? Older than the System?_

...I shouldn't have said yes. Pressing my trembling hands against my eyes, I stayed frozen like that for a while.

A few minutes later, I forced the air in my lungs out through my nose and stood up, pushing away the negative thoughts. I couldn't allow myself to be depressed. Not here, not now. I had things to do, and the first one was to invest my points.

I opened my Status. I had 14 RP at my disposal but I paused, I had a choice to make.

_The Road of Talent or the Road of Torment? _ _Which one should I take?_

The Road of Torment was the continuation of the Road of Pain that gave me a new Stat, but I was far from having enough points to finish it_. _On the other hand, it would take me a lot less time to complete my Talent's road and it could be just as useful to me. 

_Hmm..._ _Yeah, let's go with the Talented Road._

My choice made, I nodded to myself and put all of my points in my Talented Road, which made me gain a total of 7 free stat points. Focusing then my attention on their distribution, I paused again. I had 11 of them. Not to mention that I also got 8 more points in Health and Stamina thanks to the reward of the Road of the Beginner that I had already completed.

I should probably invest less of them in Vitality and Stamina for this time around. I needed to increase my Perception and my new Stat, as well as Strength.

...4 points in Strength, 4 in Resistance and 3 in Perception seemed good enough.

I confirmed my choice. The pain, which appeared at each consequent change in my Status, quickly faded and I got up and stretched, sighing with pleasure. As I finished my little stretching session, an idea surged out in my mind. I wanted to test something. Taking a sharp rock on the ground, I gritted my teeth and tried to cut open the palm of my hand and failed.

_Huh, my skin really is harder._

Feeling better after confirming that, I dropped the stone and slowly approached the Horror's body but stilled when a voice suddenly rang out in my back, sounding completely indifferent, "You killed it? Good."

I tried to turn around, I truly did but I just _couldn't_. It was like I was paralyzed, frozen. Imprisoned in my own body. The voice continued in the same tone, ignoring my struggle, "I guess it's time then."

I felt a blow in the nape of my neck before everything went dark.

* * *

"Do you really think she's ready?"

**"Mother** says so, and if not, well...too bad."

The thing took what seemed to be a white worm with writhing tentacles in its hand and opened Evalina's mouth, making her swallow it.

Seeing the questioning look of the other, the thing shrugged.

**"Mother** said it would help her."

A third voice spoke.

"It is not our place to question her judgment."

The thing nodded.

"Indeed."

"...Then let's proceed."

The thing took up Evalina in its arms and all three walked up to a huge hole in the ground with no visible bottom, only darkness.

The third voice spoke again.

"Drop her, and let her be born anew."


	11. Chapter 10

I woke up in agony. Spitting and retching, my whole body feeling like being on fire and my heart pounding so hard in my chest that it hurt.

The pain wouldn't stop. In fact, as time went on, it even intensified as I felt my bones breaking and then reforming. I crawled and shouted for help, begging, but no one answered. No one came. I was alone, just me, the pain and my tears.

I waited for what seemed like an eternity until the pain simply...disappeared. But even with the pain no longer there, I stayed on the ground a long time after that, shaking. I tried to get up several times but to no avail. I had no strength left.

So I waited, and got up only when I felt that I actually could. Pushing on my arms and legs, I managed to get up only to almost fall back immediately. My legs were shaking too much, so I slowly sat back down. No point in tiring for nothing.

Looking around me, I could see sunlight coming from far above me, entering through a gaping hole. Way too far above. A wave horror swept over me as I realized my position. I was underground. Deeply underground by the look of it. And there was only one explanation for how I got here that came to my mind. My unknown assailant. It was he who dropped me here. 

_But...why? And how on earth did I not noticed him sneaking behind me with my Perception?_

Shit. Horror slowly gave ground to anger. Anger against my assailant, against my helplessness, against myself for being so weak. That anger gave me the strength I needed to get up again, and this time, my legs weren't shaking.

There was an entrance to my right, one that I could barely see, sinking into pitch-black darkness. It was the only way forward as far as I could tell. After all, I couldn't climb out of here, the hole was too far above me and I had no climbing equipment.

But first, I wanted to see my Notifications.

**Your Skill Pain Resistance has Leveled up to Lvl 3. +4 RP**

**Warning: Genetic Alteration...In progress.**

**Resistance +10**

What was that? _Genetic Alteration?_...In progress? What did that son of a bitch do to me? Why did I suddenly gain 10 points in Resistance? Was it because of that Genetic Alteration thing? Or was it because of the literal _torture_ I suffered just minutes ago? Was it actually that Genetic Alteration that caused that pain? 

_I will definitely find you, whoever you are. You owe me some goddamn answers._

Grim-faced, I walked towards the dark entrance.

* * *

_Deep in the abyss, in an enormous cavern, something stirred its gigantic body and opened its eyes, grinning inhumanly wide with needle-like teeth. The thing moved one of his long membranes and reached out to its loving children. A prey had entered its domain._

* * *

I won 2 free stat points thanks to my 4 RP, which I put into Perception, increasing it to 14.

The path ahead was getting deeper and deeper and I couldn't see shit now, which was I increased my Perception. It was the only way to get my bearings here and not slip every fucking second. I didn't want to break an ankle, who knows how long it would take to heal, probably a long time, even with the System and my Stats.

I had enough shit on my plate already. 

I kept walking, with a hand always resting against the rock wall. Time passed slowly as I felt cold sweat running down my back. The darkness and absolute silence of this place were terribly oppressive. Definitely not suited for claustrophobic people.

After a while, I began to perceive ahead of me the beginning of a grand opening, but just as I approached, a wave of pain brutally surged out of my brain and ran through my body, causing me to fall on my knees as I cried out in pain.

Putting my hands on my face, I felt a warm liquid flowing down from my eyes. Not tears. _Blood_. I was bleeding from my eyes. An agonizing pain then tore apart my mind and I thankfully blacked out.

* * *

I woke up feeling tired and blinked furiously to clear the mist from my eyes, wincing while doing so. My skull hur-... 

I felt myself be abruptly pulled forward by the foot, my body rapping against the ground and I blinked again before raising my head to look in front of me, and my heart missed a beat in shock.

**Infant Blind Horror (Lvl20)**

The fucking thing had one of my foot in one of its claw and was currently dragging me, but as I looked at it, it abruptly _stilled, _like a creepy statue.

_Did it felt that I was awake?_

_Shit. I have to attack, now._ _I don't really want to know where this fucking thing is taking me._

Its head began to move slowly to the side but I gripped the claw on my foot and pulled toward me. Losing its balance at my pull, I kicked its leg at the same time and it fell clumsily on the ground. It opened its mouth, probably wanting to howl but I couldn't let that happen. I didn't know if it was alone or not but I couldn't take the risk to let it warn others of its kind if it wasn't.

Adrenaline surged out in my veins and I jumped on it, and its claws flashed in response, slicing me open on the torso, but I ignored the pain and punched its face once, twice, three times and felt its bones breaking under each blow, skin tearing apart and blood flowing, splashing on my face.

I didn't stop.

I only stopped when I realized that half of its face no longer existed. It was spread all over the floor in a gory mess. I heaved exhaustedly, gulping the air, and licked my lips clean, involuntarily swallowing the thick black blood.

_What the-_

It tasted _good_. I knew I should be disgusted by this but I couldn't. It simply tasted too much like fruit juice for me to be disgusted.

Small white dots flashed into my view and I shoved away the thoughts, and instead looked at the Notifications as my wounds slowly began to close themselves.

**You have Leveled up to Lvl 17. +2 Free Stat Points**

**Your Skill Pain Resistance has Leveled up to Lvl 4. +2 RP**

**Your Skill Strike has Leveled up to Lvl 8. +8 RP**

**Warning: Genetic Alteration...Modifications Made...In Progress.**

**Resistance +10**

**You have learned the Skill Night Vision (Lvl1).**

* * *

_Deep within Evalina, a white worm slowly grew._


End file.
